LOL @ Harbor Freight stuff.

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by Nevyn

They're not soldered. Just open 'em up with a screwdriver and it's a standard 9V.

Yah, but the HF multimeter with the battery is almost the same cost?

[Christ]

Replace it with a rechargeable battery :P

Regardless of whether it's the same monetary price, it still costs more to buy a new piece rather than just replace the battery that's in it, when you consider the work, materials, environmental impact, etc. of making a whole new piece, rather than just making a battery.

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by Christ

Replace it with a rechargeable battery :P

Regardless of whether it's the same monetary price, it still costs more to buy a new piece rather than just replace the battery that's in it, when you consider the work, materials, environmental impact, etc. of making a whole new piece, rather than just making a battery.

Rechargables don't work due to the voltage difference, I've found. You end up with the voltage going haywire, thats the sad part with these is that they never really stop, they just become very inaccurate w/ dying batteries.

I am not throwing it out by any means, I usually unload workable crapola on ebay every now and again. You would be surprised how much people spend for the $1.99 Harbor Freight multimeters on epay.

Also I do have uses for probes

[elhigh]

Originally Posted by wagonman76

... after 2 seasons it seized up and I had to tear it apart and clean out the rust, seal the connections, rebuild the motor brushes, and I packed it full of wheel bearing grease. Shouldn't have had to do that but no problems since.

I kinda like HF but it's sort of the Big Lots of tools - some of it's crap. The discriminating shopper has a good chance of getting a great deal. The random shopper has a good chance of getting a tool that will hold up just long enough for the receipt to be thrown away.

My Pittsburgh 1/2" drive wrenches are fantastic. Love 'em. Chinese or maybe Taiwan, and I don't care. Dang, they're tough. And in the same breath, I've got some nameless screwdrivers I just nabbed because they were cheap and bright orange so I could keep track of them - they're for the junkyard bag. I should've just left them at the junkyard. I know why they're nameless - I sure as heck wouldn't want MY name on them.

[Christ]

Originally Posted by elhigh

I kinda like HF but it's sort of the Big Lots of tools - some of it's crap. The discriminating shopper has a good chance of getting a great deal. The random shopper has a good chance of getting a tool that will hold up just long enough for the receipt to be thrown away.

My Pittsburgh 1/2" drive wrenches are fantastic. Love 'em. Chinese or maybe Taiwan, and I don't care. Dang, they're tough. And in the same breath, I've got some nameless screwdrivers I just nabbed because they were cheap and bright orange so I could keep track of them - they're for the junkyard bag. I should've just left them at the junkyard. I know why they're nameless - I sure as heck wouldn't want MY name on them.

All of my tools end up in the junkyard bag at some point.

I also buy broken tools from people, usually for $0.25 or $0.50.

I can fix ratchets and stuff, which makes it worth it to me. Sometimes, I'll even buy broken sockets, if they're cracked and I can cut the cracked section and just make the socket shorter. I've also bought them so that I could cut the side out and make them fit on weird nuts or bolts, some of which have flanges and the like.

Also, broken sockets make nice holders for allen (hex) wrenches, and you can braze them in so that you can use them on ratchets, keep track of them on socket bandoleers, etc. or use them for driver bits, etc.

I also have several bolts that I've ground grooves perpendicular to the threads so that I can use them to clean out the threads on engine blocks. They end up looking like taps, but they're not sharp. If you can get them started in a hole in aluminum or something, they'll still cut threads though.

[elhigh]

Originally Posted by Christ

Sometimes, I'll even buy broken sockets, if they're cracked and I can cut the cracked section and just make the socket shorter. I've also bought them so that I could cut the side out and make them fit on weird nuts or bolts, some of which have flanges and the like.

I've done that, cheapo $2-for-a-handful sockets from the pawnshop, two minutes with the angle grinder and bingo, new O2 sensor socket.

I have to pick locks at work every once in a while. I could pay $50 for the local guy to come do it ($45 trip charge, $45 per hour, takes him maybe three minutes), or pay the $10 for a set of decent picks, but every time I need to pick a lock I sacrifice a couple of paperclips to the Handyman Gods and get to it. It's surprising how well it works. Some tools are just so...superfluous.

I confess, for the bigger ratchet-drive hexes I just paid the $10 for a set. I didn't need them, but the price was pretty good, and they looked so nice. I admit it, I'm addicted.

I'll probably wind up buying the lockpicks, too.

[Christ]

I bought a door-lock set for automotive doors... (Read: SlimJim)... I don't need it, I can do the same thing with a knife (which I always carry) and a leather belt. (Which I always wear.)

I'm like MacGyver... I've always got what I need. I also carry a credit card that's no good with a filleted edge, and a small metal card with a serrated edge. I used to carry pieces of char with me too... survivalist mentality.

[IsaacCarlson]

get some 12 inch hacksaw blades and cut them into three pieces.
then look up some pics of lock picks and print em out.
take your cut up blades and your pics and a cup of cold water and head off to the bench grinder. now, you want the back of the blade to be the back/top/ of the pick. start grinding very lightly and slowly on the blades to copy the shape of the pick in your pic you printed. ATTN: only grind for a few seconds lightly and dunk the blade to keep it cool, if it gets hot it will lose temper. these work better than the store-bought picks because they are carbon steel. stiff, flexible, and springy. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS!!!! costs anout $2 to make a whole set. and the holes in the blades fit a small key ring!
and please grind off ALL the teeth. you don't want to lose a finger.

[Christ]

Standard disclaimer applies to above.

[elhigh]

Originally Posted by IsaacCarlson

get some 12 inch hacksaw blades and cut them into three pieces.
then look up some pics of lock picks and print em out.
.

You know, that's brilliant. I never even thought of that. (headslap)

I've ground a knife blade out of a worn-out circular saw body (el cheapo, not worth sharpening) and had it come out very nicely. Biggest hassle: drilling through the tang for handle rivets.